Car-coupling machine.



No. 759,234. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904, G. W. BOWLING.

CAR COUPLING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED O0T.30, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

CAR-COUPLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 759,234, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed October 30, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BOWLING, a citizen of the United States of America, resid ing at Wellington, in the county of Menifee and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in car-couplers, and has for its objects the provision of a device of this nature which can be easily applied to cars and one which is easily coupled and uncoupled without danger and with perfect safety.

It is further the purpose of my invention to provide a coupler which is neat and simplein construction, yet strong and durable, consisting of but few parts, which can be easily replaced if broken or injured, and the mechanism of which coupler will not readily get out of order.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, such as will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved coupler, showing the parts in uncoupled position. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the parts in coupled position; and Fig. 3 is a view in transverse vertical section through the socket member, showing the means for retaining the tongue in locked position.

A indicates the socket or female member of the coupler, and B the plunger or male member thereof.

The socket A comprises an inverted-U- shaped body portion consisting of a flat top plate 1 and two side walls 2 2. The body portion may of course be cast or molded in one piece, if preferred, and is secured to the end of a coach or freight car in any suitable manner. The side Walls 2 2 extend beyond the end of the top plate 1, which latter is provided with a protection-plate 3, secured thereto and projecting forwardly in a direction parallel with but spaced apart from the upper edges of the walls 2 2, the under surface of the protection-plate being beveled, as at 4.

Located beneath the top plate 1 and opposite Serial No. 129,505. (No model.)

thereto is the bottom plate 5, which may be cast integral with the body portion, if desired, there being a space between the rear end of the bottom plate and the end of the ear to which the coupler is attached, and to the under surface of the bottom plate is secured a protection-plate 7 extending in a direction opposite to that in which the protection-plate 3 extends and partially closing the opening 6, its rear end being beveled, as shown at 8. Thus the socket is formed of the top and bottom plates and the side walls, to which plates are added the protection-plates, which serve to strengthen the structure and receive the majority of the shocks imparted to the coupler. A tongue 9 is pivotally secured within the socket by means of the belt or other suitable fastening means 10, which passes transversely through the tongue and through the side walls 2 2, the tongue being longer and heavier from its rear end to its pivotal point than from its forward end to its pivotal point, the rear end being beveled, as at 11, on its under face, and the tongue at its forward end is provided with a locking-pin 12, adapted to engage the plunger or male member when in coupled position. Because the rear end of the tongue or lever 9 is heavier than its forward end the tongue normally tends to lie in an inclined position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, with its beveled face 11 in contact with the beveled surface of the lower protection-plate 7 and its forward end engaging the beveled surface of the upper protection-plate 3, whereby a greater degree of movement is afforded and a firm abutting surface formed for the tongue.

One of the side walls 2 is provided with an aperture 13, extending transversely therethrough, which aperture receives a trip 14, carried by the free end of a stay-spring 15, the opposite end of the spring being secured to the socket member, as shown. The trip projects some distance Within the socket memher and beneath the tongue to prevent the latter from assuming the inclined position shown in dotted lines, and yet permitting a slight degree of oscillation thereof, although this is not necessary. The free end of the spring is provided with an outturned lug 16,

having a hole formed therethrough, in which is loosely held one end of a rod 17 pivoted upon a stud 18, located on the coupler.

hen my device is applied to a passengercar, I provide a lever 20, extending toward the side of the car, the inner end of which lever is rigidly connected with the free end of the pivoted rod 17, the lever 20 and rod 17 forming, in effect, a bell-crank pivoted at 21. When the coupler is applied to a freight-car, I provide a lever 18, pivotally supported on a lug 19, the lower end of the lever adapted to contact with the rear free end of the rod 17 to swing it inward, thereby swinging the front end of the rod outward, carrying with it the spring 15 and trip 14, the trip being moved out of the path of the rear end of the tongue, which rests thereon and which upon the removal of the trip is permitted to swing down by its own weight, and thus release the male member.

While I have shown the outer end of the rod 17 passing through a hole in the free end of spring 15, yet any other suitable connection may be used.

The male member B of the coupler comprises a plunger 22, the rear end of which is rigidly secured to the car in any suitable manner and is protected and strengthened by means of the casing 23 surrounding it. The forward end of the plunger is preferably perfectly flat or smooth on its under face 2 1, its upper surface being thickened and having an arc-shaped countour 25, afiiording I strength, and rearwardly of which is formed an aperture or recess 26 for the reception of the pin 12 on the tongue. The recess 26 may be slightly elongated, if desired, to permit a certain amount of play. The lower plate 5 is slightly beveled at its outer end, as at 27, to facilitate the entrance of the plunger into the socket, and the forward end of the socket is adapted to abut the forward end of the casing 23. p

In place of the solid plunger shown in Fig. 2 I may use the arrow-head plunger 28 shown in Fig. 1, which consists of two or more members provided with beveled hooks 29 29, the locking-pin 12 being adapted to take behind the hooks when the parts are coupled together.

The operation of my device can be easily understood from the foregoing. The plunger is brought into alinement with the socket, and one or the other of levers 18 or 20, as the case may be, is operated to withdraw the trip from the socket, thereby permitting the tongue to rock on its pivot and admit of the entrance of the plunger within the socket, whereupon the lever is released and the trip automatically thrown back into position beneath the rear end of the tongue, the locking-pin 12 passing over the arc-shaped head of the plunger and being received within the hole or recess 26, formed therein.

It is evident that many changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car-coupler comprising a socket member, a pivoted tongue carried by the socket, a locking means on the tongue, a male member receivable within the socket and retained by the locking means, the tongue automatically assuming an unlocked position, a trip engaging the tongue to retain it in locked position and means for operating the trip.

2. A car-coupler comprising a socket, a pivoted tongue carried thereby, a male member receivable within the socket and engaged by the tongue, the tongue automatically assuming an unlocking position, a trip adapted to engage the tongue to retain it in locked position and means engaging the trip and automatically tending to retain the trip in engagement with the tongue at all times.

3. A car-coupler consisting of a socket and a plunger receivable therein, the socket comprising a hollow casing, protection-plates mounted thereon, a tongue pivoted within the socket and adapted to engage the plunger, a trip for normally retaining the tongue in engagement with the plunger and means for actuating the trip to cause the release of the tongue and plunger.

4. A coupler comprising two cooperating members, a locking means carried by one of the members and normally tending to rest in unlocked position, the locking means adapted to engage the cooperating member when in locked position, a trip normally engaging the locking means to retain it in locked position and means for releasing the trip.

5. A carcoupler comprising a socket, a plunger receivable therein, a pivoted tongue carried within the socket, the forward shorter end of the tongue adapted to engage the plunger, the tongue tending to move automatically to unlocking position, a trip engag ing the rear end of the tongue to retain it in locked position and means for releasing the trip.

6. A car-coupler comprising two cooperating members, a locking means carried by one of the members and adapted to engage the cooperating member, the locking means normally tending to assume an unlocked position,

a trip engaging the locking means to normally retain it in locked position and means for opcrating the trip to permit the locking means to automatically release the cooperating member.

7. A car coupler comprising a socket, a plunger receivable therein, an automaticallyunlocking member located in the socket and engaging the plunger, a spring, a trip carried vby the spring and engaging the unlocking member and means for operating the trip to permit the release of the plunger.

8. A car-coupler comprising an apcrtured socket, a plunger receivable therein, an automatically-unlocking member carried by the socket to engage the plunger, a spring located on the socket, a trip mounted on the spring and extending through the aperture in the socket to engage the member and retain it normally in locked position, the spring provided with an aperture, a pivoted rod, one end of which rod is loosely received within the aperture in the spring and means for rocking the rod to cause the withdrawal of the trip from the socket and release the plunger.

9. A car-coupler comprising a socket, a locking member therein, a trip engaging the member to retain it normally in locked position,thesocket provided with beveled surfaces, means for actuating the trip to permit the member to assume an unlocked position and a plunger receivable in the socket, and engaged by the locking member, the plunger provided with a thickened surface behind which the locking member engages.

10. A car-coupler comprising a socket, a locking member located therein, a trip engaging the member to retain it in locked position, means for releasing the trip to permit the member to assume an unlocked position and an apcrtured plunger receivable in the socket, the locking member adapted to be forced into engagement with the plunger by means of the trip, and to automatically release the plunger upon the removal of the trip.

11. A coupling member comprising a socket, a pivoted locking-tongue adapted to have one plane 01 movement, the tongue normally assuming a position at one limit of its movement, a trip having a plane of movement at approximately right angles to the plane of movement of the tongue, the trip engaging the tongue to cause it to assume a position opposite to the normal position of the tongue, means engaging the trip and constantly tending to throw it into engagement with the tongue and means for regulating the position of the trip irrespective'of the first-named means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the accompanying specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. BOlVLING.

itnesses:

T. L. CANDEL, \V. 0. BACK. 

